Associated Press: Few reports of voter intimidation or harassment in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — An election hotline and email account dedicated to receive complaints of voter intimidation and harassment in Maryland during the 2020 presidential election received few reports.

Capital News Service through a Public Information Act request obtained records of 27 complaints received by the attorney general’s office reporting incidents of what callers and emailers suspected were some form of voter intimidation or harassment. …

The attorney general’s office was not able to comment on individual complaints or confirm whether any of the complaints received violated state or federal law.

A spokeswoman for Frosh’s office said any complaints of voter intimidation “may have been forwarded to the Maryland State Prosecutor for further action,” but would not say whether any had been forwarded. Instances that did not rise to the level of voter intimidation may have been forwarded to the local boards of election, the spokeswoman said.

Maryland state attorneys general have had voter complaint hotlines during past elections. The number of complaints received this presidential election was “relatively small,” according to the spokeswoman. …

Common Cause Maryland, a nonpartisan fair-elections advocate, trained and dispatched more than 1,000 volunteers to polling places in 22 counties. Volunteers were asked to report any sightings of voter intimidation or harassment through a group communication app at the end of their shifts.

A spokeswoman for the organization said no incidents were reported.